One woman's experience of balancing nature and nerd.

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Inflatable You

Normal Sunday night service has resumed in the Geek household thanks to a new gadget the arrived today.

Sunday night requires an almost Beatrix Potter style scrubbing up of our children to once more make them presentable for school (and the general population ). Baths are run, hair is washed and the coming week is talked through over dinner as if no one uses a calendar. Actually, I’ve tried getting us all to synch calendars, but have met more resistance than Darth Vader. Apparently, telling everyone on a Sunday then promptly forgetting is a much better option. I digress.

My own version of this Sunday night pre-school scrubbing has included Mr Geek lifting me in and out of the bath which has not been fun for him, and equally been quite painful for me. (Straddle the side of the bath… without bearing weight on your legs….exactly). However, we’ve coped whilst we have scoured the internet for alternatives. On the advice of a friend, we’ve been trying to locate an inflatable bath lift and found quite a number online.

Whilst searching for “inflatable bath lifts” we found some bizarre things online, that would make so much sense if you were living in a tiny house. Who knew inflatable bath tubs were a thing?! They zip up to keep the heat in and everything! (Kudos Japan)

And then there was the giggling at the idea of trying to fold me into this (breaking bad anyone?)

In the end we stopped being amused at the ingenuity of the Japanese home styling and found a serious contender for my Get Mrs Geek in The Bath mission. Look at how pleased this lady is to have hers!

Anyway, this is the model we decided would suit us best as:
I can control it
It will get me to the actual bottom of the bath
It doesn’t have any hard bits that will damage the bath (or me)
It’s small enough to roll up & hide in a cupboard when I’m not using it so it’s discreet.
And, the back remains inflated so if I do get a bit potsy and faint, it holds my head up (bonus!)

But brand new, it’s £500. For an inflatable chair.

So we hit ebay and found a second hand one locally for a teeny bit less than £100 and waited hoping no one would bid. It’s a bit faded, but it did the job and tonight we bathe!

I may not be able to wash my hair on my own, but I can push a button and lower myself into bubbles.

It’s definitely one to mention to Adult Social Services as an adaptation that can really improve quality of life.
Given time I may even be able to get in & out myself & just need someone to set it up and put it away. (Possibly – I remain hopeful that I’ll gain a bit more mobility)

I have. The OT is coming for a visit tomorrow, but my phone interview didn’t go brilliantly (all she was focused on was if I could use the toilet). But it’s a different lady that’s coming so fingers crossed.